Thanksgiving Part II

On Friday and Saturday of last week we celebrated Thanksgiving with Josh's side of the family.  Genevieve, Joe, Laura, and Harvey made the long trek to visit with us and to enjoy Mary Jane's delicious meals.  (I think she should open a restaurant!)  Michael and Harvey bonded over Thomas the Train, even though their mothers didn't approve of all the television time. : ) We did manage to get them outside, though, so that we could take advantage of a beautiful afternoon at Granddad's park.  Michael really enjoyed this big swing in the picture above.  (I can't stand pushing him in it because it is so heavy.  He always wants to go HIGHER! and FASTER!)  Thankfully, his Granddad stepped up to the challenge.  Josh was just as thankful as me, it seems.  On Saturday morning there was a lovely article about Josh's mother, which was a wonderful surprise for Genevieve and Joe.  Check out the "Star" if you get a chance.  Josh is the cute baby, sitting on his beautiful mother's lap.  

Catching up is hard to do!

Happy Thanksgiving, Readers!  

We were so thankful for so much this year:

~The new life that God graced us with in October.

~The opportunity to spend all of Thanksgiving Day with ALL three of my brothers.  We laughed and laughed and laughed at the dinner table...

~Michael B and his contagious laughter and the pure joy that he felt in being with his family.      He honestly enjoyed every single minute of the Thanksgiving holiday.  

~To spend the day with my three living Grandparents and to watch them smother our babies with hugs and kisses.  

~My aunt and uncle and cousins came all the way from Ohio to hug and kiss on Mr. Nicholas.  Chris and Nicholas entertained Michael with the Leggo's and with a game of pool.  (Michael calls them "The Leggo Boys!" 

~For the love and laughter that filled my parents' home on Thursday.  

It could not have been a better Thanksgiving Day....

FYI:  There will be a Thanksgiving Part II post sometime soon to commemorate our holiday spent with the K-H side of the family. We've been busy running around!!

Party on the mountain!

Pictures from Jennie's birthday party on the mountain!  Michael had a blast, he LOVES Jennie and birthday cake!  And, I believe Nicholas enjoyed himself, as well.  He slept really well Sunday night, as a thank you for taking him to the party.  (Any time, Nicholas, any time...)  

Almost Normal...

My mom stayed with us today because Josh needed to get back to work. The morning started out a little rough. Michael threw two fits in the course of about two hours. One being as soon as he got out of bed, nothing like waking to a screaming three year old! ( At least the baby wasn't crying, too.) Naturally, I was a little worried about how the day would go. As it turned out, the day could not have been better. My mom and I took the boys to a local co-op farm, that is full of fun activities for kiddies. We went on a hay ride, picked out four pumpkins, watched a pig race, jumped on a gigantic pumpkin inflated with air, and we played on a toddler/little kids playground. Towards the end of our visit, we bought some hot apple cider and kettle corn. Nicholas cooperated quite well by sleeping throughout the entire outing. 

Today I was so grateful to no longer be pregnant, with a baby ramming my rib cage. I could breathe, I could climb on the gigantic pumpkin with my Michael (though I probably should not have..), and I was able to truly enjoy his laughter and curiosity again. It's been a long, long time since I have felt good enough to truly appreciate his magical age. And, sharing this wonderful day with my mom and Nicholas was quite a delight, as well. We can't wait to take Josh back to this farm, Michael wants to take him back TONIGHT. That's how much fun he had today, and I'm so glad for that. The new baby is kind of taking it's toll on Michael B right now, which is completely understandable and to be expected.  

I am looking forward to more days like this one...

Enjoying our company!

Obviously, things have been busy this week!  We're learning how to adjust to two babies now, how to deal with a sleep shortage, and how to get daily chores completed around the house while squeezing in naps.  Even though we have a lot to learn and a lot of adjusting to do; we couldn't be happier.  Michael loves his brother so much.  The crying seems to bother him a little bit, and he frequently tells the baby (in a sweet voice), "Too noisy, Baby! Too noisy!"  He does worry about the baby when he cries, though.  He's such a sweetheart....

Josh is an awesome father, and he loves to cuddle Nicholas. Josh will often take over the "shushing" duty after I nurse Nicholas.  

Cousin Amanda came over to meet Nicholas with Mango the other day.  She did a fantastic job holding Nicholas!  And, Michael was SO HAPPY with the paper, crayons, and coloring book that she gave him.  Michael worked on his writing ALL day yesterday with that paper!  : ) 

And, now some pictures of some very, very special visitors!  Grandma and Pap-Pap!!

Grandma and Pap-Pap also came over this week to meet their newest Great Grandson.  I think both of them fell in love instantly.  Pap- Pap said that he is a "fine baby boy."  And, Grandma was actually speechless for a moment or two.  I am so incredibly thankful that our  children know three of my four grandparents.  

What a tremendous blessing it was, to be able to introduce our baby to his Great Grandparents on such a beautiful fall day!